One Grain
by rosso-bass
Summary: SPOILERS! The Prince, grief-stricken and alone,is faced with the opportunity to bring Elika back to life, at the cost of releasing Ahriman on the world. He's about to make the most selfish decision of his life. One-shot


One Grain

By rosso-bass

**AN: I don't own the Prince of Persia franchise. The characters aren't involved, yadayadayada. Enjoy. :) **

The Prince sat cross-legged before the tree of life. The ambience of the chamber and the luminous light of the tree, which had before seemed peaceful, now seemed sinister and unsettling. This was doubly true, given the endless efforts of the dark god Ahriman to persuade the Prince.

Elika was gone, dead. Without a word's warning, she sacrificed herself to seal away Ahriman, leaving the Prince alone. He had carried her out of the temple and laid her down on the stone altar near the entrance to the temple, and he saw the first tree.

He instantly understood, and immediately descended the steps. At a steady run, he bounded across the valley sand and skillfully climbed the isolated granite pillars. At each one, he destroyed the young trees, cutting them in two with a swift strike. When he had killed the last one, the ground trembled, and the stone door to the inside of the chamber opened. He returned, moving past Elika's body, and entered.

And here he sat. His resolution had never abandoned him, nor did it now. But yet he had not destroyed the tree. Everything he and princess had worked towards amounted to the existence of this simple tree, and Elika had died for it.

If he brought her back, she would likely never forgive him. He understood that very clearly. But still, he was willing to risk the world's destruction to give her life. She meant something to him though he was not willing to admit it in the wake of her death. Embarrassed, even in his solitude, he knew he wanted her, wanted to be with her. But he doubted she would be able to stand the sight of him.

He felt deeply that she deserved life, but that, obviously, she would not have chosen it for herself. Nevertheless, he knew himself enough to know that if he returned her life, it would be a selfish decision.

He sat for awhile longer whilst gods whispered to his conscience. The woman had caused an unseen part of himself to manifest itself, and this spirit struggled with the older aspect of his soul, struggled with his past.

Thoughts of the isolated but intense moments between the Prince and Elika came to mind. The moments when they connected or when their undeniable magnetism became visible to the both of them. At that moment, he felt he could physically feel his heart break. He stood up and unsheathed his sword. Tears came to his eyes as he approached the humming tree.

He hesitated, and he heard the pleased, smug encouragements of Ahriman. With a scream, he brought the sword down

---

"Why?" Elika said, bewildered.

"I didn't want to be without you, this is what I wanted," the Prince responded.

"But…"

"It isn't what you expected, is it?" The Prince asked.

"No..." she responded. "I thought-"

"That I'd destroy the tree?" Elika looked up at him. She was beautiful as ever, though her skin glowed a brilliant teal hue, and her presence melded with the surroundings. The towers and walls reached up around them, each one peaking with a bulb-like cap. Ripples of energy shimmered in the air and along every surface.

The Prince had plunged the blade into his own gut, and collapsed to the ground, bleeding out. As his energy waned, his eyes slowly drooped closed. And when he had opened them, he had come to a place he instantly recognized. It was the strange dimension he and Elika had entered whenever they opened another area using the light seeds. Strangely enough, the surreal experiences had been the moments when the Prince felt closest to the princess. They were together in experiencing something incredible, pure, and completely awe-striking.

He had first thought he had entered a delusion caused by his loss of blood. But when he saw Elika, transformed, as he now was, to fit the palace-like realm, he knew he had truly joined her.

"Yes," she responded, and smiled. "But you didn't."

"I knew you would never forgive me," he said solemnly.

"I destroyed the other trees to enter the temple," he said with a bit of shame.

"The land feeds them, they'll regrow quickly, and the temple will be shut again. You've done no harm," she responded.

"I'm sorry," he mentioned.

"I like it that you were tempted, actually…" she produced a small smile. She seemed to ponder for a moment.

"You said if I knew you long enough," Elika began. "That you'd disappoint me."

"So?"

"You didn't." She walked closer to him and looked at him for a moment. She wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly and warmly. He was taken aback, but after a moment, she released him and looked into his eyes. She took his hand, and they began to walk along.

"We're together now," Elika said warmly. The Prince said nothing. He was at peace.


End file.
